State laws change from time to time and though we try to keep the laws up-to-date at all times please check with the department of education for any changes that may have occurred.
There are many reasons to seriously consider homeschooling: you’re in control of what your children are learning, you get to decide how much time you want to spend on different subjects, you can adapt the material to suit your children’s needs, and you don’t have to worry about your children dealing with schoolyard bullies.
Whether you’ve already made this decision or you just plan to, we’re here to show you how to start homeschooling in New Mexico. We’ll help you make full use of the educational potential of New Mexico, let you in on the New Mexico homeschooling requirements, and offer you a diverse range of useful online homeschool resources that will guarantee your homeschooling success. Use the infographic and video below to create a homeschool that thrives.
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The Land of Enchantment
Known for its mountain-and-desert landscape and its Spanish heritage, New Mexico has a lot to offer in terms of educational opportunities.
Both in terms of landscapes and wildlife, you’ve got plenty of things to explore in The Land of Enchantment. The Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos boasts the traditional South-Western landscape, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is home to some of the most impressive rock formations in the US, and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge gives you the chance to take a close look at the impressive local fauna.
If your children are into the arts, history, or science, you can visit one of the many New Mexico museums. You’ve got the Museum of International Art, in Santa Fe, the New Mexico History Museum, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, and many others. There’s even a dedicated children’s museum – the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque.
New Mexico Homeschool Laws
While the New Mexico homeschool requirements aren’t excessively demanding, there are a few things that you need to consider if you plan to start homeschooling.
The first thing you need to know is that you have to have a high-school diploma or the equivalent. This is the minimum legally-admissible qualification.
You’ll then have to file a notice of intent with the state superintendent within 30 days after you start homeschooling, and by August 1 of each subsequent year.
The homeschool laws require you to provide at least 180 days of instruction at an academic level comparable to that offered by the public school, but there’s no bookkeeping or assessment requirements.
One last thing you have to do is keep an immunization record of your children.
Your children will be able to enroll part-time in the local public school, and take part in extra-curricular activities, but they can’t benefit from special needs services offered by public schools. This means that you’ll have to turn to private providers of such services, if you need them.
Homeschool Friendliness Grade
The final grade when it comes to homeschool friendliness is B. We didn’t give it an A mostly because of the qualification requirements, and because there’s no public special needs services available for homeschooled children, but overall New Mexico is quite homeschool-friendly. You’ve got a relatively permissive legal system, and plenty of educational opportunities. It’s really a great place to begin homeschooling.
Conclusion
Homeschooling in New Mexico should be fun, and it should really glue your family together. The Land of Enchantment offers tons of great educational opportunities – you can organize field trips your children will remember forever – and when you homeschool in New Mexico the legal system is pretty easy to deal with.
The local homeschooling community is pretty active, too, and you shouldn’t find it too difficult to get unstuck, if you’ll ever have any questions or dilemmas. To make homeschooling easier and more fun, you might consider joining one of the groups above – you’ll love being in the middle of a helpful, open-minded homeschooling community.
Resources
http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/
http://www.ped.state.nm.us/homeschools/ - the official website of the New Mexico Public Education Department offers plenty of useful homeschool-related information
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/NM/ - the HSLDA website is a great place to find news and local homeschooling events
https://www.cape-nm.org/ - this is an active Christian association and support group, with plenty of resources and tips on how to start homeschooling